Fire Safety
by mwendyr
Summary: Goren, Eames, Logan and Wheeler are called to a case about a Police Officer who is killed in a house fire. But just exactly who is responsible and why? C6 is finally posted.
1. Chapter 1

I had posted this story before, as you can all tell, and some of you may have read or started to read. However, I felt that since not many of you were leaving a review I had to assume that something was wrong with it. This to me means that I wasn't getting across to you what I was seeing. But I'm having to guess so I hope you all like the improvements. I hope this actually posts... hmmm. Anyways, rant is over. Please leave a review and let me know of any mistakes, what you think etc. Reviews motivate me.

**Fire Safety**

The gun locker door slammed shut at the 33rd Precinct Station and Clare Brooks, a young woman with dark hair and a medium height, turned to her partner and long time friend Ashley Grey, a young man who had brown sandy hair. Brooks cringed at him, which made him curious so she explained.. "I've made the worst mistake of my life." She put her coat on and her partner looked at her and grinned.

"This I gotta hear." he said, with a small laugh expecting her story to be amusing. She gave him the I'm-not-amused expression and walked away from him, knowing he would be following. Like most cops he was as curious as a dog and as stubborn about it too.

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A middle-aged man sat at his desk, it was dark outside and he had his hands on a blue presentation folder. He was caressing it like it meant everything to him, like it held his life within it and it somehow meant more to him than his body did. He was in a world of his own, sitting quietly with a beer, in a softly lit study room. This was his domain, his castle and this was where he had his peace but something troubled him and he couldn't place where that trouble was coming from or where it had started. All he knew was that he would never let any trouble control him. Never.

He took a sip of his beer and put the bottle down on the desk. Picked his folder up and carried it out of the room and to it's special place, the place of pride.

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Jessica Marshall hurried towards her car at the parking garage where she worked for a law firm, and before she opened the car she pulled out her cell phone, dialing the same number she had been for weeks. "Come on, please pick up!" the frustration in her voice was obvious. A passer by, a colleague, looked at her with amusement - she didn't even try to supress the huge grin that formed on her face.

"Boyfriend not answering again, Jess?" The woman laughed and didn't wait for an answer, she just carried on walking towards her own car. Jess growled in frustration and pulled open the car door and slammed it shut behind her. When the ringing stopped and it reached voice mail she threw her cell onto the passenger seat. Anger welling up inside of her from a place she could not ignore. Her mind racing and the thought that occupied it as she turned the key in the ignition was that _she _would never be treated this way.

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"I never meant for this to happen! I wanted ... I do want us to be together, Darren!" Clare Brooks was almost yelling at her boyfriend, Darren, as he scrunched up the paper in his hands.

"Really, then would you like to tell me what this is about?" His anger was causing him to shout at her as he waved the hand written note in front of her face.

"Look, it was nothing, it was an accident." She tried to explain as he began to pacing his apartment, which was bright, filled with lots of CD's and equipment but kept tidy and arranged in a specific order.

"Just how is sleeping with someone else an _accident_? What did you do? Fall onto each other. Please!" He shouted, his unoriginal sarcasm was not well recieved by Brooks, a cop who knew better than to take that from any body let alone any man. "I thought we were good together. I thought you were better than that. I can see that I was wrong." He turned and began to walk away from her. She grabbed his arm, trying to get him to stay so that she could explain her mistake, explain what had happened. She loved him, she really did, she didn't want him to leave.

"No, please, let's talk about this..." He turned and suddenly slapped her in the face, the sting she felt sent her hand instantly to where he had hit her. Her eyes filled with tears from the stinging and from the hurt she had caused him and herself. The stinging caused the love to be replaced with hate for the way he lashed at her.

"I - Oh, forget it!!" He stormed out of his apartment and left Clare to cry alone, holding her face in shock.

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Clare Brooks walked into her house and closes the door quietly, she looks around the room. The room is not lit up at all, but she can still make out the small amount of furniture that she owns - small amount because she had wanted to concentrate on becoming a cop, protecting people - people like her mother. She leaves the light off as she heads up the stairs. She doesn't undress before she gets onto her bed, puts her badge and piece on the nightstand and allows the tears to fall once more as the regret fills her body. She had known it was a mistake but at the time there was no reasoning - there was no logic, there just was him and her and... alcohol. She also knew that that was a pathetic excuse that many had used before, she'd seen it all the time on the job but how could she explain that a demanding man and alcohol were not a good mix to a kind, decent man who'd never seen anything like that in his life.

She shuddered when she considered what he might be thinking, feeling. Brooks knew it was going to be anything but good.

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Outside her house someone wearing dark leather gloves is leaving the house through the back gate and doesn't look back as they just head straight out of the neighborhood on foot. Rips off the leather gloves and puts them in the trash bin of a nearby house. They know that can't be seen because they're wearing all black, it's early morning and nobody is around to say boo.

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Credits Roll

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Fireman worked hard to put out the last remnants of the fire at Clare Brooks house. The remains of the building was still smoking as Detectives Eames and Detective Davis, a female detective, walked over to Detective Goren and the chief fire officer, Adam Branning. "The fire was started by a gas leak and the electric sockets switched on next to the gas in the kitchen. It wouldn't have started straight away and the victim may never have noticed but the tiniest spark from the electricity outlets could have started the fire." Branning told the Detectives. "One of the worst ways to go - in your own home." He walked away from them and the three looked at each other. It was one of the worst ways to go, you'd never know if you were heavy sleeper. Goren's mind was already racing through some possibilities, he was already considering possible reasons for the fire, possible scenarios.

"It couldn't have been an accident." Goren said, almost absent mindedly as he opened his brown portfolio and walked upto the house but stopped short of going in, he couldn't go in.

His partner, Eames, nodded in agreement. "She wouldn't turn on all her electrical appliances and gas taps." It seemed to make sense to her, why would someone do that.

"Not unless it was suicide." Davis argued, with some reasoning she guessed it could make sense. All three Detectives seemed to be considering that possibility before Eames shook her head.

"Brooks was a Police Officer who was being considered for being a Detective. There was no reason for her to commit suicide." Eames told Davis and then walked over to her partner, she looked at him. "Why wait for yourself to die in your sleep? Surely there are easier ways to go?"

"We need to find out if there was reason for her to kill herself." He told her in response to her unvoiced question, she nodded and they turned away from the house.

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**33rd Precinct**

**Desk of Officer Ashley Grey**

"I just can't believe that she was killed in a house fire. She's been my partner for 4 years now." Officer Grey was sat at his desk just shaking his head in stunned shock. "We've been friends for longer though, we - uh - we went to the academy together." He looked up at Detective Goren and Detective Eames for the first time. Goren and Eames looked at each other and then Eames looked back at Grey whilst Goren sat down at the Brooks' desk.

"We were hoping if you could tell us if Officer Brooks was suicial recently?" Eames asked, politely but abrupt whilst her partner began rummaging through Brooks' desk.

"Suicidal? Clare? No way. She loved her job and her life." Grey replied, stunned by the question. He couldn't understand why these Detectives that of her, his partner, his friend.

"Was Brooks having any kind of personal trouble that she may have confided to you about?" Eames asked, allowing her partner to look through Brooks desk. Goren was flicking through books and reading her schedule and shift logs.

"Not really. I guess she was having a bit of a problem with her boyfriend but Clare was tough, you know, she could handle herself."

"Boyfriend?" Goren asked, looking up at Grey for the first time, taking his eyes away from her paperwork. Proving that, once again, that whilst he is searching through things he is still paying attention to what is being said around him.

"Yeah, a Darren something, he works for some music company. She said they were hitting the rocks." Grey explained very matter-of-factly.

"Darren something? She didn't tell you his last name?" Eames asked him as he looked at his papers, he seemed to be trying to remember.

"She may have, I really can't remember it."

"What about this music company? Do you remember that?" Eames was trying to be patient whilst Grey seemed to be doing some kind of mind jogging when he was trying to remember.

"You don't have a problem with your memory do you, Officer Grey?" asked Goren, standing up looking at him intently, "Because I can't help but notice that you seem to be going through the hurdles trying to answer my partners' questions." Whilst he spoke Goren rotated his hand around his head.

"No, I don't. I've been pulling double shifts, we all have. So was Clare, you were looking at her logs. Look, if I do remember I'll call you." He spoke with such fanality that the Detectives took that as their cue to leave. Goren couldn't help but notice that Grey seemed more annoyed with their presence than helpful to them. He also noticed that he didn't seemed to be upset. Not the way Goren would be if he ever lost his partner.

As they left Goren spoke quietly to Eames, "Her boyfriends name is Darren O'Rourke, he lives in this apartment on 73rd." he passed her a small card and Eames just grinned as she followed him out of the station. Lucky for them, Brooks kept a contact book full of cards and this one happened to have his music shop written on it.

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**Interrogation Room**

**One Police Plaza**

"Look, I don't know what she told you about me but I didn't hurt her." O'Rourke was sat opposite the two Detectives, facing the one-way mirror with a feeling that he was being accused of something. He just knew that he had to defend himself from whatever she had said.

"Really?" Eames asked "What do you think she's said about you?" She shared a look with her partner and looked back at O'Rourke expecting an answer.

"I _don't _know. We got into an argument last night and it got heated. There's no need for her to bring me up on charges though." He explained, desperately wanting to get of that room, he didn't like the way her partner was watching him.

"Why would she bring you up on charges, Darren?" Goren asked, looking down at his portfolio and then at O'Rourke who refused to answer, he just shook his head.

"What did you do to her?" Eames asked, picking up on his reluctance.

"I told you we argued. It was personal. There's no need for her to bring you guys in on it." Goren stood up and pushed his chair under the table, shaking his head at him.

"You didn't answer her question." He said simply, pointing at his partner, before sitting down next to him. "Would you like to know what _did _happen to her?" It wasn't really a question and O'Rourke never had the chance to answer before Eames placed photo's of the burnt corpse of Clare Brooks lying on the morgue slabs.

O'Rourke stared at each photo in turn and then closed his eyes in shock, he then turned back to Goren and spoke quickly when he realised what they were implying. "Oh God, no, I didn't do that. Oh My God." He turned away from him and looked at Eames. "I didn't even know that - that - happened to her." O'Rourke felt like his world had just been turned inside out and upside down. He'd never seen anything like this, now he really did have to let them know that he didn't hurt her. He realised what they were implying and it saddened him further.

"Why would she bring you up on charges?" Goren asked one last time.

With tears in his eyes, which he angrily swiped away, he answered "Because I slapped her on the face. I thought - I thought that she was going to pull some strings... or something. Oh my God!" He covered his eyes and cried with shame and grief.

Eames looked at her partner and sighed, "Why did you slap her?"

"Because... of... what I found out. I was angry. I didn't mean to."

"What did you find out?" she asked, feeling like she was going to have to drag the answer out of him.

"Some guy sent me a letter, a stupid note. The bastard even signed the damn thing." He looked at them both, again wiping tears from his eyes. "I couldn't believe what it said but when I asked her she just said it was true. I mean, the guy even said he had proof of what they'd done."

"She slept with someone else." Eames reasoned and O'Rourke nodded.

"Did he say what proof he had?" Goren asked, and watched as O'Rourke just shook his head and put his head on the table and started to cry incredibly hard. Goren looked at Eames and they both got up out of the chairs and left the room closing the door behind them.

They walked into the observation room to see Captain Ross stood there shaking his head. "So, we're in agreement that it wasn't a suicide?" He asked them, they looked at each other and nodded. "And this guy?" he pointed to the window with his thumb.

"I don't think he could've done it even if it was angry at her." Goren replied, looking through the window. "He didn't even know she was dead."

"Hold him until you alibi him." Ross told them and Eames nodded to him. "One more thing, I want you two to work with Logan and Wheeler on this. I don't appreciate the Chief of D's breathing down my neck. Apparently Officer Brooks was well respected and he had high hopes for her." He walked to the door, "Let's try to do her some justice." They watched him as he left the room and then turned to each other and Eames sighed.

"I don't think this one's going to be easy. Not that they ever are." Goren didn't respond to her he just watched O'Rourke through the window as he was staring at the pictures of Brooks that they have left on the table.

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_to be continued, _

_let me know what you think guys. _


	2. Chapter 2

This is chapter 2 revised. Please let me know what you think. I have not forgotton Everyday Is A Winding Road and Chapter 4 should be up sometime tomorrow.

**Fire Safety**

**Apartment of Darren O'Rourke**

Detectives Goren and Eames walked through the door with Darren O'Rourke, he closed it behind them and walked in front of them, he seemed to be avoiding eye contact. "Mr O'Rourke, we were hoping that you still had the note that this man sent to you." Goren told him, as he swapped his portfolio from one arm to the other.

"You said it was signed so..." Eames explained, walking into the main area of the apartment, nearly tripping over some CD's on the floor. "Are you always this messy?" Her question seemed to be more sarcastic than being of curiousity, which seemed to throw him a little.

"No, I - uh..." O'Rourke rushed to pick the discs and cases up off the floor. "I've been a - little upset and I was - uh..."

"Tossing CD's?" Eames asked, as she looked at him with some humor. "Where is the note?" She looked around the room and realised that he probably didn't know, the entire apartment was a mess. In his rage he had broken lots of CD's and furniture among other things.

"There!" Goren pointed and walked over to the other side of the room where a white piece of paper was on the floor, screwed up into a ball, he used a pair on tongues to pick up the note so he didn't get his fingerprints on it. He passed it to Eames, who had pulled on a pair of gloves. She opened up the note and Goren leant in to her to read it with her. "Neat handwriting." he noted.

"It's signed by Chris Webber. Interesting, he signed his full name. I wonder if it's his real name." Eames commented and then turned to O'Rourke. "Was there an envelope?" She asked him, but he shook his head. "Did you see anyone drop this note off?" Goren was pulling on his own gloves whilst she spoke to O'Rourke.

"No, it was in my mail box when I came home from work. Why?"

"Someone must have hand delivered it." Goren stated quietly whilst taking the note off his partner who nodded in agreement and watched O'Rourke as he once again covered his face with his hands and looked about ready to collapse. Eames rolled her eyes at him and looked at her partner, who was intently staring at the note in his hands.

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**Home of George Brooks**

**Father of Officer Clare Brooks**

Detective Logan turned to looked at his partner, Detective Wheeler, and they both sighed. She tried to doorbell again for what felt like the hundreth time. Still not getting an answer, and both shivering from the cold, Logan shook his head to indicate that perhaps he wasn't in and they should both go, but as they both turned to leave the front door finally opened. "Hello?" an old man, who looked to be in his 50's with grey hair peaked around the door, he squinted at the light. "Are you cops?"

Wheeler held up her badge, "Yes, I'm Detective Wheeler, this is Detective Logan, we'd like to come in to talk to you about your daughter."

Brooks opened the door to allow them into his home and quickly closed it again. Logan nearly tripped over a walking stick by the door. "It's kind of dark in here, don't you think Mr Brooks?" Brooks just walked away from them and headed for the kitchen. The two of them looked at each other and followed him.

"We're very sorry for your loss." Wheeler said, appologetically.

"Are you cops investigating what happened to her?" He asked, and they nodded. "Good, because my girl didn't die in no damned accidental house fire. She was smart, not stupid!" His anger was evident as was his grief. He sat heavily on a kitchen stool and let a sharp, almost painful sigh.

"You raised her to have common sense." Wheeler stated in agreement. "That's why we're here, if there is anything you can tell us about her. Do you know if anyone was bothering her?"

Brooks shook his head, "I don't know anything, all I know is that she was one of the best cops in the city. She never let the bad guys get away."

"What about her mother?" Wheeler asked, "Would your daughter have spoken to her?" When Brooks didn't answer Wheeler looked at Logan, hoping he would get more out of him that she was. Logan sensed that they were hitting a sensitive spot so he pushed.

"Mr Brooks, is her mother here now?" Logan asked, "We'd like to talk to her."

"Her mother died when she was a child." Brooks said very matter-of-factly. "She died in a shooting in the city." He looked at Logan squarely. "Some criminal trying to get away from cops chasing him shot her just because she was in the way." Brooks let a tear slip and then brushed past the Detectives, walking upstairs and leaving them in his kitchen.

"I guess that's our cue to leave." Logan said, sarcastically, turning and heading for the front door, knowing full well his partner was behind him.

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**Home of Chris Webber**

"Can I help you?" The middled-aged man with dark hair looked at the two Detectives in disgust, especially at Eames.

"You're name came up in an investigation." She told him, ignoring his hostility. "May we come in?" She held up her badge and so did Goren. He looked at them for a moment, eyeing them with suspicion and then stepped aside to let them in. They walked into the sitting area and turned back to him.

"Mr Webber, you have a very nice home." Goren stated. "It's very... uh..." he was searching for the word, he looked as his partner and then stepped to Webber, "Cosy." The room they were in was filled with creams, reds and lots of soft chairs and soft lights. Eames just raised her eyebrows and looked around the room for a moment before turning to Webber. She was unimpressed with the room, it wasn't her style at all so she didn't feel any need to comment on it the way her partner did.

"Mr Webber, did you know anyone by the name of Clare Brooks?" Eames asked, and Webber just eyed her again, with suspicion and dislike. Eames noticed and looked at her partner, who took a step closer to Webber to make him look at him instead. Goren noted the way that he hesitated, he could see that Webber was having to think about his answer.

"No, no I didn't." He finally replied, looking at Goren with dislike.

"Really?" Goren asked. "Then why would her boyfriend think that you did?"

"Well I don't know her boyfriend so I can't answer that." Webber replied, cold. "And I don't know her." he added, he became uncomfortable with Goren and took a step back.

"No, see, you do because you sent him a note saying that you had been intimate with her." Eames corrected him, which he didn't like. He took a step toward her and pointed his finger at her.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Webber raised his voice at her, for which she just stared at him in the face.

Goren held out his hand to stop him from going further, "Hey, there's no need for hostility Mr Webber, we're just asking some questions. This is a murder investigation and we're asking for your co-operation." Goren explained, trying to calm the man down.

Webber looked at him and then stood back. "Do - Do I need a lawyer here?" He asked, stil hostile, pointing to himself and then at the two Detectives.

"Not if you're innocent." Eames told him, he stared at her again and she fought off the urge to roll her eyes and handcuff him there and then.

"Leave." He told them with a cold hatred that neither had expected. Goren looked at Eames and she looked at Webber. Goren waited for Eames to be in front of him and then followed her out of the house.

"Well, he's not innocent." Eames said, sarcastically. She looked at her partner and then sat in the drivers seat.

"Maybe, maybe not. But he's definately hiding something." Goren spoke mostly for her benefit so that she knew what he was thinking. She turned the key in the ignition and gave him a small smile of amusement.

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**Captain Ross' Office**

**One Police Plaza**

"So what do you think of this Chris Webber?" Ross asked, as the four Detectives stood in his office, each one looking at the other before allowing Eames to answer.

"Hostile. He thinks he needs a lawyer." She looked at her partner and then back at Ross. "He claims that he never sent a note and that he doesn't know Brooks." Ross then looked at Logan and Wheeler.

"But when we mentioned her name it had meaning to him. He recognised it for a small moment before he hid his expressions behind a - a mask." Goren explained to Ross and the other Detectives.

"What did you two get?" He asked them.

"Nothing. Her father was grieving too much, he barely spoke to us." Wheeler replied.

"We did find out why she became a cop." Logan commented. "But..." he held out his hands to say nothing.

"We need a search warrant." Goren said suddenly yet quietly, all four looked at him curiously. "The note said that Webber had proof that he had sex with Brooks, if he does have it it will be at his home." Goren looked at Ross who shook his head. "I got the impression he was hiding something."

"There's not enough evidence. Impressions of people are not evidence." Ross disagreed and put his glasses that he was holding on his desk.

"Webber hates women, is hostile towards them, he was hostile towards Eames." Goren looked at his partner, who looked at Logan and Wheeler and then shrugged. "He was angry that we had even suggested there was a note. If that's true then he would've been angry at Brooks. Maybe she confronted him about it, which could have led to the fire. We-We need to find out." Goren's hands seemed to be racing with the speed of his voice as he tried to reason his need for a search warrant. He looked at Ross with desperate eyes and Ross just nodded and the four Detectives walked out of the office.

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**Home of Chris Webber**

Cops were swarming around the building and inside the building. All four MCS Detectives are inside with Webber as he was watching them in pure disgust while they searched through his things. "How dare you people come in here!" He was almost shouting as Wheeler reaches for a box on a shelf. "Don't touch my things." He yells at her.

"Mr Webber, please." Goren steps to him and nods to Wheeler to continue with what she was doing. "You've read the search warrant, you know what we're here for." Goren felt that he should stand next to Webber, despite the fact that he was itching to join in executing the search warrant.

"I don't know _her!_" He shouts at him before turning away from him. Webber wanted desperately convince them of that small fact.

"What's in here?" They hear Eames ask, as she stood next a white door, pointing at it and looking at Webber. They look at the door, Logan walks over to it, tries to open it but can't because it's locked.

"Where's the key, Webber?" Logan asks, and Webber shakes his head but notices the way that Webber protected his jacket pocket so he grabbed his pocket and pulled a set of keys out of it.

"Hey! Now..." Goren tosses the keys to his partner and she tries the lock. "_This_ is an invasion of privacy. My lawyer is going to here about this."

"Keep singing that, Mr Webber, it's music to our ears." Eames told him, as she managed to open the door. Webber pulled away from Goren and sat down, angrily. "Interesting." Inside the cupboard there was a glass box with a blue folder inside, being kept preserved, away from dust and any other elements in the air that could ruin the folder and it's contents. Eames pulled the box out of the cupbaord and Logan opened it with the other key and pulled the folder out.

"Please leave that alone, it's mine. It's private." Webber was pleading with them, he didn't want them to open his private property but Logan opened the book and stared at Webber.

"Is this real?" Logan asked, stunned for a moment. Webber didn't answer. Eames curled her nose up at what was inside the folder. Goren looked at them with curiosity, he was fascinated by their reactions. He'd never seen either one of them react like that, with such intense disgust at what they were looking.

"What have you got?" Wheeler asked, stepping away from the boxes she had been searching through.

"His stamp collection." Logan replied, with a hint of sarcasm telling them that what was inside the folder wasn't really stamps.

"And proof about Brooks." Eames added, taking the blue folder from Logan and going to the back page. "I'll bet she's in here too."

"What do you mean?" asked Wheeler, walking over to her wanting to know what could be possibly be in that book that could be proof.

"Well, come see for yourself." Eames told her, passing the folder to her. Wheeler cringed at the contents and passed it back to Eames, then the three walked over to Goren and Webber. "Have you always done this?" Webber looked at her with pure hate, disgust and he couldn't control his anger any more as he felt it rise within him and without warning he lashed out at her.

"Give it back!" He swung at Eames who ducked just as he made some contact with her face, but Webber didn't manage to actually injure her before Logan and Goren grabbed him by the arms.

"You're gonna regret that!" Logan grumbled, as they pushed him towards the wall, pulling out his handcuffs with his spare hand he passed one end to Goren. Wheeler went next to Eames to see if she had been hurt, when she discovered that she wasn't she turned to their partners as they forcefully held the man against the wall of his own home. Two uniformed officers came over towards them as soon as they had realised what had happened.

"You're under arrest for assaulting a police officer." Goren stated as they cuffed him and allowed the two officers to drag him away. They looked at Eames and Wheeler who just watched Webber being dragged out yelling at them about his folder. "He has a quick, fiery temper."

"You alright?" Logan asked Eames, who nodded to lessen his concern for her. Wheeler looked at the folder in Eames' hand.

"This is going to be interesting." She said with amusement, as an officer came over with a brown evidence bag and Eames slid the folder into it, and gave a small smile of agreement. Goren looked at the three of them with curiosity. He had not seen what was in the folder and he had decided there and then that he had to look. This folder could very well explain the intense nature of Chris Webber.

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_Do you want to know what's inside the folder? _

_Thanks for reading, please review. It'll make me want to post the next chapter. _


	3. Chapter 3

This is chapter 3. I hope you like it.

Warning: What's inside the 'blue' folder isn't exactly nice. However, I guess it's in tone with the show. It's not really suitable for really young people so I've raised the ratings of the story. But like I said I've seen and heard worse on the show.

Also I'm sorry the chapters are small, but I promise I will try to update as often as possible for those that are reading.

**Fire Safety**

**Major Case Squad, One Police Plaza**

Captain Ross sighed a deep, tired, annoyed and very irritated sigh. Once again the safety of one of his Detectives had come into question. Thankfully, this time it wasn't serious but he felt that ever since he had taken up office at Major Case there had been more personal attacks and offences against them then there had before. He'd seen officers kidnapped and officers beaten up but all in the space of a few months? In the same squad? Something just had to be wrong somewhere. He just hoped that it wasn't him, that somehow it wasn't his lack of ability to manage the squad that was getting them into this trouble.

He was stood in the bull pen with the four detectives as they were showing him the blue folder. That was another thing that puzzled him. Just why did people do that? He looked at Goren as it seemed he was doing some explaining. "He packed each one into a small, air tight, vacuum sealed bags. This was to- to preserve them. He was meticulus about it. It was, well, it was very important to him."

"Why? Don't we, uh, usually throw them away?" Logan asked, not even wanting to touch the book since he'd taken his gloves off. They were sat around Goren and Eames desk. Goren was sat at his, Eames at hers, whilst Logan sat on Eames desk and Wheeler and Ross stood next to Goren. The blue folder was closed in the middle of the two conjoining desks.

"Well, yes most of us do. I guess he found a way to preserve them. Like he felt that it carried on the connection for him after the - the intimacy had passed." Goren continued to explain, he was finding this fascinating and really wanted to find out more about what motivated Webber into building his collection.

"Like it really happened?" Eames tried, trying to understand why a man would do such a thing. Goren gave a small nod in agreement, he could see that making sense too.

Wheeler looked at them all and shook her head. "So, let me get this straight, this guy sealed each and every single used condom into small bags, put them into a folder, preserved them in a glass box so that he could believe it really happened?" She asked, incredulously, she couldn't seem to wrap her mind around it.

"Yeah and get this, he wrote the name of each girl next to each one _and _their date of birth." Logan told them, with a hint of humor as he found it interesting as well.

"As well as the date they had sex on." Eames completed for him, not finding it funny and not amused by the fact that Logan was, she gave him a look of annoyance.

"That should make finding these women easier." Ross told them, fiddling with his glasses in his hands. He seemed to ponder something. "Let's try to keep this out of the press, I don't want the media getting a hold of this. Let's not forget why we're here." They all immediately thought about Clare Brooks, the young officer who had lost her life in the house fire. Ross looked at the folder, he was disgusted with the contents and looked at them. "I want you to interrogate him as soon as he's booked."

"I - I don't think that Eames or Wheeler should be in there." Goren said out of concern for their safety. Wheeler looked at him with a raised eyebrow as if he was questioning her ability, but he shook his head to say that wasn't it at all.

"I agree." Logan said, which caused Eames to look at him, ready to argue for herself, and he just shrugged. "Look, he already tried to attack you and since we did arrest him for assualting a police officer." He tried to explain, not wanting to offend her, that was the last thing he wanted to do. Thankfully he was saved by their captain, who happened to agree with him and Goren.

"Logan and Goren can do the interrogation. Since he does seem to already have hostility toward women let's not give him any more reason to act on that hostility." Ross told them with fanality, so that Wheeler and Eames knew that they couldn't argue with his decision, not that they would try. Eames decided that since she could not be involved in the interrogation that she would look up these women in the book, she showed that decision by opening up her laptop and opening up the first page of the book. Wheeler walked over to her and the two guys walked away from them and headed towards the interrogation rooms.

Wheeler looked at Eames and pulled up a chair, shrugging. "My mom used to have commitment issues with men. Now I can see why." Wheeler spoke like it didn't mean anything to her but Eames knew otherwise but sensing that she wasn't looking for a personal conversation, just making a comment, Eames quietly snorted and shook her head.

-----------------

**Interrogation Room**

**Major Case Squad, One Police Plaza**

Chris Webber and his lawyer were sat at the table, facing the one-way mirror. Webber looked disheveled, tired and weary but that wasn't what he felt. He felt angry, frustrated and confused. He hadn't expected himself to be arrested and right now he was cursing himself for losing his temper on a cop no less. When he saw the two male cops, the ones who had cuffed him whilst they had held him to the wall, he sat back into his chair, trying to be casual. They both sat down next to each other, backs to the mirror, and Goren droped his folder on the desk with a thud. Webber straightened his back and looked at the man, waiting for him to say something.

He hadn't expected the first words to be out of the other detectives mouth. "So, now you know what happens when you hit a cop." Although Logan spoke with a humor that was intended to hide his feelings, Webber could sense that it was personal for them.

"My client was acting out at his personal belongings being taken for absolutely no reason." The lawyer, an middle-aged man with greying hair, stared Logan in the face.

"We had a search warrant." Logan stated, not wanting to argue about that.

"Based on?" The lawyer asked, pushing the subject.

"A note that places him in most recent contact with a police officer who was killed in a house fire." Logan spoke in a tone that told him this was not to be messed with.

Webber was about to open his mouth to speak when Goren spoke quietly to him, his pen making small movements on his pad of paper. "There is no need for you to deny it. We have the folder, the... evidence. My partner is currently tracking down the other women." Webber stared at them, he knew they had the folder, why were they pointing it out to him?

"Wonder what they'll say about you." Logan teased, harshly.

"Have you always kept trophies of your encounters with women?" Goren asked Webber, looking directly at him and no one else. No one else was important right now. Webber didn't look at him and Goren found that annoying so he stood up, making movement in the room to get him to look back round. It worked and Webber looked back up at him. "I've noticed you're not so - so aggressive as you were before." Webber didn't respond, he just stared at him. "Is that because there are no women in the room to control."

"Like the way your tried to control Detective Eames?" Logan asked, not liking the distasteful way he spoke that sentence and Webber picked up on his discomfort realising why it was so personal for him.

"What does it mean to you?" Webber asked, trying to taunt Logan but Logan shook his head refusing to take the bait. Goren helped him by turning the conversation back to the book.

"How long does it take you to wrap each condom into a small bag. I noticed that each bag was carefully sealed. No holes." He used his flat hand in the air to underline each point. "No air. Nothing." Webber retreated into himself somewhat, as if he was mentally trying to escape Bobby Goren. No such luck, since Goren just leaned into him over the table, coming into his face. "That had to take commitment, to keep that up. It's the most important thing to you. More important than the actual women they represent."

"Maybe Officer Brooks knew about what you did." Logan added. "Maybe she asked questions about it, being a cop and all."

"Pushing the buttons in you that are easy to push." Goren continued, standing back from him and walking around the room.

"I believe we've wandered off track." The lawyer spoke up, allowing his presence to be remembered. "This is about the assault on a Police Officer, not the murder of one." He looked at the two Detectives. "My client is going to be arraigned for that charge only, not murder and if you had the evidence he would have already been arrested for murder." Goren sighed and looked at Logan, who raised his eyebrows to indicate that they should just carry on but they heard a knock at the window telling them it was time to leave. Goren grabbed his folder and as they headed for the door and it opened he looked back at Webber.

"Have you always kept them in a folder. Have you always done that?" Goren asked, Webber didn't answer but he looked down at his lap and Goren could've sworn he saw the guy nod his head. They closed the door behind them and walked into the observation room where Captain Ross was standing.

"He is different with men than he is with women." Goren commented the moment he walked into the room. "With women he is controlling, confident, angry even but with men he is withdrawn, shameful and quiet."

"Look into it." Ross told him, and Goren nodded as Ross walked out the room he looked at Logan. "Well done." then he closed the door behind him, leaving Goren to look at Logan inquisitively.

"I was told not to get personal." Logan responded without giving too much away, Goren nodded in understanding and they walked out of the room and headed towards the desk that they had left their partners at, only to find they weren't there.

------------------------

**Interview Room**

**Major Case Squad, One Police Plaza**

Detectives Goren and Logan walked into the interview room to see their female partners surrounded by crowds of papers and boards filled with names, dates and corresponding numbers. "Woah. You ladies have been busy." Logan said, upon instant sight of their work.

"Yes, well, we couldn't do the 'fun' stuff so we were left doing the 'other' stuff." Eames replied, with a grin. Wheeler handed them a manila folder each and looked at Eames, ready for the explanation, Eames indicated for her to start and Wheeler looked at her partner and than at Goren.

"Well we pulled Webber's luds and managed to account for phone calls to specific cell phones on dates when he 'encountered' these women. He only called them once."

"Once?" Goren found that fact interesting, as he looked through the phone records.

"It doesn't go as far back as we'd like but since some of the cell phones were registered we've been able to confirm their identity and they match the names in the folder." Eames explained, pointing to the names that were on the white boards. "We're tracing them right now."

"Well, you've put us to shame." Logan remarked, with a grin. Eames simply responded by matching his grin. "All we got was that he's always kept a... record."

"Interesting. Is this the only book he has?" Wheeler asked, pointing to the blue folder at the end of the desk.

"It's the only folder that was found during the search, why?" Goren asked, curiously.

"Beacuse the first date in the book is October 1998." Eames explained to them, "When he was booked he stated his date of birth as May 1964. That would make him 34 when he started this book. If he's always done this then either this isn't the only book or..."

"He was virgin until he was 34." Wheeler finished for her, she couldn't help but keep her grin off her face although she tried to hold it back a little. Goren reached for the book to have a look for himself and he tucked that piece of information away in his mind for later, he felt that this would be useful.

"Oh, so this is like that movie." Logan added, "The 40 Year Old Virgin." The other three stare at him and he looks at them with amusement before holding up his hands and hastily adding, "Which I have _never _watched." Eames smirked, Wheeler shook her head and Goren raised his eyebrows at his colleague. Neither could see him watching the movie and Logan knew he was going to rediculed for knowing the name of the film.

-------------------

**Home of Amanda Webber**

**Mother of Chris Webber**

Detective Goren and Detective Eames stood in the main living area of Amanda Webber's home, still in their outside coats, waiting for her to return from whatever task it was that she had hurried out to do. Eames trying her best to resist calling out a search party for the woman they'd come to speak and she was actually about to suggest they do that when she returned. Finally was the first word that came to her mind and she was thankful she managed to pull herself back before she spoke it. A self control she had not mastered as until she had become a cop. "I'm so sorry Detectives, my plants, they always need watering this time of year." she explained to them, Eames tried to hide the fact that she couldn't believe that.

Goren looked outside, all he could see was low clouds and the absolute promise of rain. He found this peculiar and looked at Ms Webber with intense curiosity. "In winter?" he asked.

She nodded. "Global warming." she replied, as if that made a reason. Eames resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the woman, realising that getting off on the wrong foot perhaps wasn't the best way to go.

Goren decided she was a woman who over reacted somewhat, since global warming didn't really require you to water your plants on a rainy day. "Mrs Webber, we've come to talk to you about your son, Chris." Eames told her.

"I'm not married." she politely told Eames, with a small smile and handed her a glass of water. Eames held up her hand to say no and Ms Webber put the water back down. "What has his done?"

"Done?" Goren asked, wanting to know the reason she assumed he had done something.

"Well, cops come visiting, it usually means he's gone and done something." She explained to them with a shrug as if it was an everyday thing. "He's always getting himself into trouble, it was his fathers fault really."

"How so?" asked Goren, looking around the room at the pictures on the wall and there were many. As a matter of fact she didn't really need wall paper, the pictures covered it like a piece of patchwork art.

"He was never around." The answer spoke quietly, simply suggested that there was more to that.

"He never looked after little Chris?" Eames asked.

"Oh, no, he did. He always had him over. He was just never really around... us... you know like family. Jeff wasn't a really good role model." Ms Webber spoke timidly about him. "He - he always like the... women." Eames raised her eyebrows at that final word and she put through the connection there and then.

"And Chris likes women." Goren told her.

"Not in the same way." She replied, Goren looked at her and then at his partner. "My Chris was bullied at school... by girls. He was always shy around the pretty ones." she looked at Eames. "You're very pretty." Eames gave her a small smile of thanks but the fact that Ms Webber has stunned her was obvious. Eames had not seen that one coming.

"So are you." Eames didn't really know what else to say to that, it wasn't normal for complete strangers to compliment so politely during an interview. Goren liked the way his partner suddenly seemed shy but she covered it quickly.

The conversation was turning away from the point. "Uh, Ms Webber..." Goren cleared his throat to try to break the look between the two women that had formed in the past few seconds.

"Amanda." she told him as she turned to him.

"Uh, Amanda, did Chris ever bring any girls home?" Goren asked her, after changing the name he used.

"Oh no. He rarely socialised. Barely came into contact with anyone. He used to come home in tears and tell me 'Mama, I'm never gonna meet a nice girl'." She told them, smiling a little at the memory of her son as a child. Eames smiled, trying to picture a young boy saying that but all she could manage was seeing the way he had behaved earlier and her smile faded. Both she and Goren felt that they weren't going to get anything else out of her as she seemed dazed and Goren wondered if perhaps she had a mental problem but he didn't want to enquire.

They bid their goodbyes and thanked her for her time and they headed for the car. "She is a very nice lady." Goren said as they headed for the SUV.

"She's a little wacko." Eames said with a straight face as she walked around the front of the car.

"Maybe but she pointed out something very interesting." He continued as they sat inside the SUV and put their seatbelts on. "He was bullied by girls... the very people he likes to control now." She looked at him and nodded in understanding and they drove away from her house. The whole way back to 1PP, Goren was going through his notes and trying to piece together just who Chris Webber was.

---------------

TBC.


	4. Chapter 4

Here is the next chapter. Hope you like. Since I forgot to mention this earlier I'll say it now. I don't own LOCI and if the names of characters actually match real people please note that it was not intentional.

**Fire Safety**

**Home of Angela Brown**

"I'm in a book?" Ms Angela Brown asked as two Detectives, Logan and Wheeler, were sat opposite her in her small living room at her flat in Brooklyn. Brown was petite woman with dusty blonde hair and big green eyes. She was wearing bright clothes and the two detectives looked very dark in her brightly decorated room.

"Yes. Do you remember meeting a Chris Webber?" Wheeler asked her politely, sipping on the lemonade they had been given when they had first sat down to discuss this with her.

Brown looked at her glass and quickly looked at Logan, "No." Her tone, her response told them the opposite to no was the truth.

"Ms Brown, uh, we know that you did meet him. We can tell that you do remember him." Logan pushed, gently and quietly, knowing that he had to get her to trust them if they were going to get the truth. Women generally don't like to talk about one night stands with strange men - that was his experience anyway.

"It's okay, Ms Brown, the evidence is in the book we found that you're in." Wheeler explained, and then tried again. "Do you remember meeting Chris Webber?"

Brown nodded. "It was a few months ago. I - uh - I was having a night out with some friends." she spoke quietly, shyly about it. She was clearly embarrassed and she was trying, unsuccessfully, to hide that from them. Brown took a deep sigh.

"Do you remember what he was like with you? His attitude?" Wheeler asked, realising that Brown was avoiding eye contact with her partner, she decided to ask the questions.

"Yes, he was gentle at first. Kind and sweet. I'd had a few too many... like that's an excuse."

"You gave him your number?" Logan had to ask, despite the fact he could tell this wasn't a conversation he really wanted to be in.

"Yes, he called me almost instantly. He wanted to meet up." she explained. "I wasn't thinking straight. If I had I would've seen what he was really like." Brown looked down at her glass and refused to give either of them eye contact. Her embarrassment grew tenfold and she suddenly wished she was in the drink and not in this particular conversation. She had dreaded bringing this up again.

"He hurt you?" Wheeler asked, noting how she had commented on him being different to way she had first seen.

"No... well, no, not physically. I wanted it, I guess, otherwise I wouldn't have gone back to his place but..."

"He had attitude?" Logan wasn't really asking, he figured it was true, they'd all met him. He'd seen the way he was with Eames.

Brown nodded. "He was telling me what to do." Brown looked at Wheeler and then she explained, seeing that the woman didn't really understand. "He would tell me what piece of clothing to take off." She mock laughed at it, but mostly herself. "I did what he said but it wasn't enough for him. He even told me where to lie on the bed." Wheeler was a little embarrassed, Logan raised his eyebrows at that little fact. Brown sighed. "I left and never looked back."

"Ms Brown, we need to know if he was ever forceful with you? Violent even?" Logan asked, wanting to cut the tension that was filling the room like a black cloud fills the sky.

"Not violent, but he was - I guess you could call it pushy. He was very demanding, he wanted it his way." She explained, gaining confidence as she spoke to them. She was actually finding it very therapeutic to talk about it with strangers.

"Thank you for helping us." Wheeler gave her gratitude and they stood up to leave.

"We're very sorry for taking your time up, ma'am." Logan said as they reached the door. Brown shook her head to say it didn't matter and he nodded back at her and they left her alone. She was thankful they had been there, she realised that what had happened _was _over and that she could move on - now she had spoken all about it she felt better for it.

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**Home of Jessica Marshall**

_(the woman from chapter one) _

Jessica Marshall was holding her cell phone in her hand and looking squarely at the Goren and Eames, as they stood in her barely decorated open plan apartment. It looked like a room out of a designer magazine with matching colours and simple ornaments and decorations of bizarre shapes, such as a square lamp shade that was red with a cream circular sofa. "Do you ever remember meeting a Chris Webber?" Eames asked her, as her partner began walking around the room, finding the room very different and unusual.

"Yes. What about it?" she asked, evasively but not denying the truth.

"Well, we found a folder with your name in it and it seems he called you and _you _have called him several times since." Eames explained to her without mentioning the exact contents of the book, she figured no one would want to know what had been left behind.

"Yes, I've been wanting to talk to him."

"Did you manage to talk to him?" Goren asked as she watched the woman standing stoicly, straight and not showing any emotion at all. Somehow that didn't seem normal. The woman stared at him. "No? Is that because he doesn't want to talk to you since...?" he let his sentence fade implying about what had happened.

"He's very busy." She offered as explanation.

"I'll say." Eames responded with a quite mock laugh. Marshall didn't appreciate the tone she used or the implication but her comment.

"I'm sure he'll call as soon as he can." She continued, choosing ignore Eames all together and look at Goren, who was pretending to agree with her.

"Yes, I'll bet he'll make the time for you." Goren said and Marshall could tell he was feigning agreement and she didn't like that at all.

"What are you doing here, Detectives?" She was becoming angry at their presence.

"We're investigating the murder of a young police officer and your name came up in connection." Eames explained.

"About Chris?" She asked and Eames nodded. "If this is about Chris and my name then you found his little... collection." Eames and Goren quickly looked at each other and back at Marshall. "Yes, I know all about that."

"You found it." Goren rationalised. "Whilst you were there and he was asleep?" Marshall nodded.

"Are you suspecting him of murder?" She asked, incredulously.

"We can't reveal that at this time." Eames replied, trying not to give her too much information. Marshall mouthed the word 'oh', just taking her answer as 'yes'.

"What do you want to know?" She asked and Goren walked over to her a little and held his hands behind his back, clasping them together he looked at her and then replied.

"What happened with you two? Why do you keep calling him? Any information you can give us would be very useful." Eames thought for a moment he was trying to flirt with her but she instantly shook that thought out of her head.

"Well as you know we slept together." Marshall was being confident, her head high up as she spoke. This wasn't embarrassing for her, Goren could tell that she had liked being with Webber. "I've been trying to get him to call me ever since." As if she wanted him to make some kind of commitment to her.

"What happened when you were with him?" Eames asked, hoping that she didn't have to say 'aside from the obvious' and thankfully she didn't.

"He was in charge but I pushed back." She replied and Goren looked at Eames, who had a look of amusement on her face. Goren looked back at her and looked a little happy about the fact she pushed back.

"Ooooh, how did he react to that?" Goren was pretending that this was a informal, friendly coversation like they were two 'girlfriends' sharing light hearted gossip about ones encounters with the opposite sex.

"He didn't like it." Marshall replied, "But it didn't stop us from having a good time." She had a suggestive smile on her face and Eames looked at Goren to suggest that they should leave before they end up hearing every small detail of it.

"One more thing - you don't mind being in his - what did you call it? His collection?" Goren asked, as Eames started to walk to the door.

"No, everybody does strange things."

"You'd be okay if he carried that on even if he was with you?" Goren asked but she didn't reply she just looked at him and he looked at her for a moment before giving her a small nod and leaving the apartment. Eames shook her head and looked at her partner who was inside himself, thinking again.

-----------------------

**Home of Jeff Hall**

**Father of Chris Webber**

Clutter was the word describe the home of this very messy middle-aged man that greeted Logan and Wheeler as they walked into his kitchen and through his back door out into the also cluttered back yard. The man was covered in grease, with hair that was dyed a dark brown colour but the grey roots were growing back. "So, yeah, I heard you people arrested my son. What's that all about?" The man grabbed a drilling tool and walked over to some wood he had been shaping into what looked like a door.

"He assualted a cop during a murder investigation." Wheeler replied, watching him as he just carried on with his work, he didn't seem that bothered that two detectives were here to talk about his son.

"You know some colleagues of ours visited his mother." Logan told him, getting his attention. "She told them that you weren't a good father." Earlier that morning, before they had all set off to do their list of interviews, the four detectives had had breakfast together to talk about the interviews they had conducted the day before.

"Yeah?" He asked, looking at him and then his drill before shaking his head. "You shouldn't believe anything she tells ya."

"Why is that?" Wheeler asked, as he put the drill back down on the floor and took his gloves off.

"Because she ain't right upstairs." He pointed to his temple with his index finger. "If ya get what I'm saying." Logan looked at Wheeler.

"Well, you don't seem that interested right now, Mr Hall." Wheeler told him.

"Nothing I can do about it." He said, shrugging it off. "My son knows what to do. I taught him well."

"Oh yeah? Like what? You taught him to hit a cop?" Logan asked, as he felt the first drop of rain hit him directly on his forehead, he wiped it off and looked at Hall.

"No, not cops." He defended himself quickly, shaking his head. "I taught him how to survive. My boy was bullied at school. His mother didn't do a damned thing about it."

"You saved him from that." Wheeler concluded from what Hall was saying, as it really did start to rain, she looked at Hall and then towards the door.

"I taught him how to be a man." He ignored the fact that they clearly wanted to go inside but he noticed that Logan didn't seem to be too bothered by the rain.

"How did you do that?" Logan asked. "By teaching him how to behave with women?"

"He was bullied by girls. What kind of boy is afraid of girls? That ain't a way a man should be. A man should know where he stands and fight for it." He explained, his hands were making shaking movements by his side as he spoke, which Wheeler found annoying and fascinating.

"That's your definition of a man?" Wheeler asked, "Where does a man stand in your definition?"

"Above, sweetheart. Above." He winked at her and she looked at Logan - her face showing how much this man was starting to grate on her nerves.

Logan chuckled, "You, uh, you like to put women in their place?" He reasoned but he needed to hear him say it.

"Yeah. I taught him to do that." The man looked smug and pleased with himself and he looked like he expected that Logan does the same. Wheeler was not impressed and she stared at Logan in annoyance but turned back to the source that, Jeff Hall. "You see, women like to think that they're in charge, but they aren't. We are. Once you put them back down, they remember where they should be. This girl power crap is the reason my son is the way he is." He eyed Wheeler up and down, this made her begin to feel uncomfortable, which Logan noticed so he tried to get Hall's attention.

"How did you teach him to be a man?" Logan asked, not really expecting an answer.

"Oh, yeah, I just told him all he needed to know about the opposite sex. Ya know..." He told Logan, Wheeler was thankful for once that they were ignoring her.

"You taught him about safe sex?" Logan asked, pretending to be interested in this strange line of questioning but somehow that question seemed important and he knew that if hadn't asked, Wheeler was going to instead.

"Well, there ain't no point in getting women pregnant." He answered and then explained. "Once they are they want ya to stay, that's what happened with me and Mandy." He was referring to Webber's mother, Amanda. Wheeler couldn't help but also realise that Chris had his mothers last name and not his fathers although she shouldn't have been surprised. "Ya got a woman, Detective?" Hall asked Logan, expecting an answer, although Logan didn't really give him one, he just looked at him, waiting for the other ball. "Take that as a yes. I can tell you're the kind of man who's puts her in her place."

Logan looked at Wheeler, who raised her eyebrows, wondering if he really did do that but she'd not seen any evidence of that. "You don't have any other children, Mr Hall?" Wheeler asked, wanting to steer the coversation away from downgrading women.

"No, I learnt my lesson the first time. Didn't need to be told twice." He started walking around the house, leading them away from his back yard. He obviously wanted them to leave and if Wheeler and Logan were honest with themselves, they definitely wanted to leave.

As they neared the front of the house, Logan turned to Hall and held out his hand indicating that he was going to say something more. "Oh, Mr Hall... by the way. My girlfriend? She's not the kind of woman you put into place and nor would I try." Hall was taken back by what Logan said, it was a complete twist on the impression he'd gotton from the Detective. Logan didn't wait for a response he just walked over to his car and sat in the drivers seat, knowing full well his partner was only a few steps behind. Hall watched them pull off in his dark red car and he shook it off, heading back into his house.

-----------------

**Interview Room**

**Major Case Squad, One Police Plaza**

Captain Ross and the four Detectives Goren, Eames, Logan and Wheeler were sat around the table eating pizza and drinking coffee. There were interview notes flying towards each other as they were discussing what each had discovered during yesterdays interviews with Jeff Hall, and the women they had managed to find in the book. "So out of all the women we interviewed there was one thing in common - he was demanding, pushy, commanding and didn't call them back afterwards." Goren said, not looking up from reading his notes.

"There was only one woman who really seemed desperate to get an answer." Eames said, referring to Jessica Marshall. "She still believes he's going to call her."

"You know, I can't imagine calling up a guy for a whole month without getting an answer. I'd have given after the first call." Wheeler commented and Eames nodded in agreement, she also couldn't imagine being that desperate for any man.

"Really?" Logan asked, liking the little tidbit he was being given about his partner and then looked at Eames.

"Well, women don't like to show that they are desperate even if they are." Goren offered in explanation. Logan looked at Eames as Goren continued. "They would rather give up on - on a guy than appear to be desperately seeking his attention."

"Ha, yes, even you Romeo." Eames told him when she noticed his bemused expression. His response to her was the infamous Logan grin. Ross picked up a piece of paper and looked at Wheeler.

"What did you get from the father?" He asked her but his question was also directed towards Logan.

"He taught Chris how to treat women in that _lovely_ way that he does." Logan sarcastically answered before allowing his partner continue.

"He was the one who helped him overcome the bullying he had received at school from girls. I got the impression that he wouldn't have gone easy on Chris with that, he seemed ashamed that his son was even bullied let alone by girls." Wheeler explained and Goren was taking it all in, liking the detail that was being brought to the table.

"So, we've got a guy who was picked on by girls and a father who taught him to get them back." Ross summarised. "But would he kill Brooks in a fire?" Ross didn't sound like he believed the answer to that question could be yes. Eames didn't seem to be sure either way and when Ross looked at the others he noticed that neither did they for that matter. "Right, well, then there must be something we have missed." He looked at Goren and Eames, "Webber got bail this morning, why don't you two go pay him a visit." Goren looked at Eames, ready to say that she shouldn't go when Ross held up his hand. "I don't think he's stupid enough to hit a cop again any time soon but be careful nevertheless."

Goren and Eames stood up to leave, they nodded their goodbyes to their colleagues. Eames smiled at Logan and then at Wheeler and they left. As they were walking through the coridoor, Eames was putting her coat on when Goren's mind was wandering with his thoughts. "He doesn't say 'I love you'." His comment was quiet and thoughtful. Eames seemed surprise by the comment, although it didn't seem to make any sense.

They reached the elevator and waited for one to arrive. "Webber? Why would he say that? He has no reason to love them." Eames commented, after she thought about what he had said but when she looked at Goren he seemed confused by her response. She found that strange.

He shook his head at her as the doors opened and they walked inside the elevator. "N-no. I - I meant Logan." The doors closed as Eames was taken back by what he was saying to her.

"You're not making sense." She said, as she pressed the button for ground floor and the elevator began moving in the direction that they wanted to go.

"Logan - he didn't say 'I love you' to - to you when we left the room." Goren was becoming even more uncomfortable and once again regretting the fact that his mind let out comments before he thought about them. he hadn't even realised he had said that out aloud.

Eames, being used to his direct and unusual approach and knowing that he was just being her friend in his own way just shook her head at him. "Why would he? I'm not that insecure and it's not his way." She was going to add that Captain Ross also happened to be in the room and that they had to remain professional but she didn't feel it was necessary. She hoped that what she had said would appease his mind enough and let him concentrate on the case at hand the way he needed to. Goren was about to respond when Eames' phone began ringing. She pulled it out of her trouser pocket and flipped it open. "Eames... Yes... Alright, we'll be there." She closed the phone and looked at her partner. "You are not going to believe this."

-----------------

**Home of Chris Webber**

Fire engines and police cars were at the scene of Chris Webbers home when the detectives and Captain Ross arrived after Eames received the phone call and alerted the others to what had happened. Neither could believe that once again the so called suspect was now the victim and it seemed this one was related.

Goren could see that Chris Webber was being attended to by EMS and he was looking very angry and upset. Mortified that his house had almost been burnt down to the ground and him along with it. Goren couldn't blame him but was it an accident? Either way this changed the direction of the case and possibly alters any basis for an arrest they may have been able to get for Webber.

Goren looked at his partner and then at the others, they watched as Webber spotted them and began making a bee line towards them. He looked pissed and they all began to prepare themselves for the blow that was coming to them and to their case.

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TBC _Please leave a review and let me know if any of you guys are reading this. _


	5. Chapter 5

Yes, I apologise, this story has some confusing parts to it. One point however, I didn't intend on a small factor being confusing but this story seems to be writing itself. Yes - there is implied established M/A in this story but it's tiny and not overpowering the storyline which is what I feel is the most important. The relationships between the four detectives are crucial to the big picture in a small way. Kind of like the way they are on the TV Show.

Oh, and I'm bringing back Carver, simply because this is where he belongs. And for those that missed what the contents of the folder were in Chapter 3, I've repeated it in here for you. ;)

**Fire Safety**

**Captain Daniel Ross' Office**

**Major Case Squad, One Police Plaza**

"Well, there goes the case against Mr Webber." Ross' tone of voice was low, and he sounded irritated beyond belief that the man who had been their biggest suspect was now quickly becoming nothing more than an innocent victim in a huge web of ash and flames.

"He could have been setting up a defence for himself." Suggested Wheeler, even knowing that whilst she spoke she sounded pathetic. That'd all been heard before.

"Webber's been seriously injured." Eames objected to her reasoning, soon after Webber had rushed to confront the Detectives, he had collapsed - his lungs had been subjected to alot of stress and he'd suffered some severe burns from the flames.

"He may have been given the safe sex lecture but I guess he was never told about fire safety." Logan sarcastically supplied the only comment he felt like giving. This earned him a small smile from Ross, who quite enjoyed the odd comment to keep everyone on their toes. Hell, he'd pulled out a few of his own. "And what about that damned folder?"

"What about it? It can be argued that it has nothing to do with it. Every woman who has been interviewed has stated that he was never violent with them and Brooks was the only one burnt to death." Ross replied to Logan, making sure he was telling the others as well. He couldn't help but notice how Goren was keeping himself out of the conversation. He was leaning back in a chair, looking up at the ceiling completely lost in his thoughts.

The folder was still important in Goren's mind - it held the key to solving this case. He felt that there was something he had missed. But what? The folder had been filled with names of women, each with their date of birth and the date that they had had sex on. Next to each name was a small bag, vacuum sealed, holding a used condom. Presumebly the condom he used on each corresponding woman. The folder was simple, blue, one single colour. It had no other writing on it, nothing to lend itself to any other clue or find. Goren's mind was racing a mile a minute and he couldn't hear a word that was being spoken... actually... no one was speaking. He quickly sat up and noticed how Logan, Wheeler and Ross were staring at him but when he looked at Eames, she had a grin plastered to her face.

"You were spacing out again." Eames informed him in response to his unvoiced question.

"Uh, there was actually one woman who spoke a - a little differently about Webber." Goren said to them as his mind began reaching some sort of conclusion before they did. "W-we need to do a background check on Jessica Marshall." He stood up and looked at Ross, waiting for a go-ahead, a response.

Ross nodded, finally, and the four detectives rushed out of his office to try to break this case. Ross sighed, watching them leave. This case was beginning to look like one of those mazes where you can't seen anything but the straight, narrow, overgrown bushy passageways that have no turns in sight even though you desperately wish there was one that lead out of the maze as soon as possible.

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**Lee & Grace Law Firm**

**Jessica Marshall's Place of Work**

Reese Clark, a colleague of Jessica Marshall, was sitting at her desk quietly getting on with her own work when she felt a presence in her cubicle desk. She turned to see two Detectives hovering above her. She could tell they were detectives simply by the style of clothing the man was wearing and the badge clipped to her belt. "Miss Clark? I'm Detective Eames and this is Detective Goren. We'd like to talk to you about Jessica Marshall."

"Jess? What about her?" Clark asked, standing up so she could at least be at eye level with Eames, although she knew she'd never stand a chance with Goren.

"How long has she been working here?" Goren asked, not answering her question. The woman scowled at him for ignoring her questions but she watched Goren's soft, curious expression and changed her mind about getting upset with him.

"Almost a year." She replied. "Is she in some kind of trouble?"

"We just want to keep her out of trouble." Eames responded cryptically, frustrating Clark to the bone but she didn't want to reveal any details about the case. "Have you noticed anything different about her behaviour lately?"

"Not really. I guess she's been losing her cool alot quicker lately but that's just Jess. She's all about control." Clark replied, shaking her head when she thought about just how much the woman liked to be in control of every situation she's in.

"She likes to be in control." Stated Goren and Clark nodded. Goren and Eames had already been to see her desk, and they'd seen her apartment. All tidy, immaculate, eveything has a place and a place for everything. "With people here? Friends? Boyfriends?" Goren watched Clark as a knowing smile appeared on her face.

"Everyone but especially men. Jess backs down to no man. It's the reason she's still single." Clark told them and Eames smirked, the woman was revealing more information that it seemed she wanted to. She seemed to be tightlipped about it but now they'd started her she was on a roll. "I even laughed at her about it the other week in the car park."

"Why? What happened to make you do that?" Eames asked.

"She seemed to be trying to get some guy to phone her all week, it was driving all of us crazy, so when I saw her in the car park looking pissed at her phone, I made a crack about it." Clark told them with a laugh and a grin.

"She was angry at him." Goren said, looking around Clark's office. Clark nodded in reply.

"Very." She said and the two detectives looked at each other and nodded.

"Thank you for your time Ms Clark, we'll show ourselves out." Eames told her, as they turned and left the cubicle and headed for the door. "Looks like we bumped into the office gossip. I bet she's popular around the watercooler."

Goren couldn't help but smile at Eames' comment. "Yes, but she did confirm that Jessica liked to be in control and she wouldn't have readily excepted Webber's brush off."

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**City Hospital**

**Webber's Room**

"I can't believe that you still think I killed that cop!" Webber gritted his teeth as the fiery agony shot through his burnt back once again and he tried to settle himself down but even the sheets were aggravating the burns on his neck. "Look, I didn't burn myself. Why would I put myself through this?"

"To make yourself look innocent." Logan told him, going with Wheeler's earlier suggestion offering a rational explanation for the reasoning behind such an act, "It might hurt now but hey, in a few months the scars will have gone and you wouldn't have had to face a prison sentence." Sighing in frustration Webber growled at Logan, who was stood beside Wheeler next to his bedside, whilst a nurse tended to his medical needs.

"I want it on record that I didn't do this. My house is in ruins, my life is now upside down and you people keep harrassing me. At this rate I'm gonna to need a shrink." He spat out the last word and glared at Logan. "Why don't you guys go do something useful? And find the bastard that just burnt down my home!!" he yelled at them. Wheeler looked at Logan, who shrugged, enjoying the verbal display that Webber was putting on.

"Are you in any pain Chris?" the nurse asked, kindly, looking at him with sympathetic eyes and he growled at her too.

"Yes!" he hissed through his teeth, "Which is precisely why I wouldn't have done what you guys are implying." The nurse looked at the detectives, telling them with her eyes that they need to stop this line of questioning.

"Alright, Mr Webber, why don't you tell us what happened yesterday evening when you returned home?" Wheeler asked, deciding to take a different approach for his and their benefit.

"Nothing, I went to make myself a drink. I went into the kitchen I thought I could smell something funny but I wasn't sure." he looked at them, he seemed sincere and quite shaken whilst he was telling them the events as he remembered them. "I went upstairs and then went to lay down for a while. I thought that I was dreaming when I could smell some smoke... but I wasn't because my whole house went up in flames. That's when I realised that I was being burnt on my back I rushed out of the house and called 911."

"On your cell?" Wheeler asked, just to check. He nodded and closed his eyes.

"They say your life flashes before your eyes when things like that happen to you. I thought that it was a load of bullshit. Now I know it wasn't and it really does."

"You didn't see anyone? Hear anything?" Logan asked him, watching Wheeler take some notes. Webber shook his head.

"No, I didn't notice anything other than that smell when I came home."

"What did it smell of?" Wheeler asked him as he closed his eyes trying to remember the smell.

"I can't remember and anyway, I'm not very good at recognising smells." He told them, annoyed that they would think he'd remember such a stupid detail. Logan found his attitude annoying as well, and was desperate to leave.

"Mr Webber, is there anything else?" asked Wheeler, "Anything that you're not telling us?"

Webber shook his head and opened his eyes to look at her directly, "Actually, I'm glad you people have my folder." Logan looked amused and looked at Webber not hiding it. "Because that means it's safe." Logan look at Wheeler, who began to head for the door.

"Wonderful." Logan mumbled, shaking his head as he followed his partner out of the room. Once he is out of his earshot he turns to Wheeler and speaks quietly. "He's acting concerned about his home but all he really cares about is his precious collection."

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**Major Case Squad, One Police Plaza**

When Wheeler and Logan returned to the office they walked through the double doors to see ADA Ron Carver and Ross talking to Eames and Goren, who were sat at their desks. Goren seemed to be his animated explanation and Eames was just watching, waiting for her que to jump in and back her partner up on his long-winded explanation. Whatever it was, it looked like they had got something important, based on the fact that Carver was there. Logan and Wheeler walked over to the desk, Logan sitting on Eames' desk again and Wheeler remained standing. This was when Eames had finally chosen to pipe up and speak, "Jessica's parents were both killed in a house fire 7 years ago, although it was deemed accidental, that fire and the fire at Brooks house are actually identical."

"Now, you've got my attention." Said Carver, who had been dismissing their case against Jessica Marshall ever since he had been called up to the squadroom a little under 30 minutes ago. Eames pulled a few manila folders from her desk and showed them to him.

"So, what are we thinking here?" Logan asked, he needed to know what he had missed. "That this Jessica set Webber up?"

"She was the only one who refused to back down after the initial contact with Webber, she knew about the folder he kept and that still didn't get her in the door." Goren explained, his hands moving around in small circles as he spoke, his elbows on his desk, not even making eye contact with anyone whilst he spoke. He didn't need to, he knew that they were there. He also knew that Eames would back him up if he needed it.

"Yes, but is that really enough reason to kill a woman and then burn down his home?" Wheeler asked, voicing the concerns that everyone was having.

"She - she liked to be in control, her home, her office, her life." he continued, finally looked at someone, at Wheeler because she had voiced the concern.

"Basically Webber was threatening to hold the remote for her." Eames told them. "And have her on pause."

"To make this stick, we'd need a confession." Carver told them, handing the folders back to Eames and allowing them a moment to think about it.

"Can we get a search warrant?" Logan asked, making Carver look at him with curiosity. Goren nodded his approval, that would work.

"What would you be looking for?" Carver asked, looking at Ross for some kind of explanation but not getting any.

"Gloves." Logan answered a nanosecond before Goren spoke up as well.

"Her control." Goren almost spoke over him and they stared at them both. They'd both come up with different reasons to get the search warrant. "She likes control, she's not going to like us looking through her stuff and..." Goren looked at Logan. "Gloves would've been used in both house fires when it came to switching on electrical appliances and turning on all gas outlets." Logan wanted to thank Goren for backing him up but he guessed that he would have to wait until later.

Carver looked at them both thoughtfully and shook his head in amusement. Yep, he was back at Major Case and already he was being asked to get a search warrant for reasons that seemed far fetched, but he'd missed it and was glad that he'd decided to return. "I'll get you that search warrant, Detectives." he nodded to them and headed out of the squad room. Eames smirked somewhat when she noticed how thankful Logan had looked just then and apparently she hadn't been the only one. Ross had watched the whole thing with amusement.

"Be careful, Detective, you don't want us to think that you're getting soft." Ross told him, as he walked back towards his office and Logan tried to back a comment. He looked at Eames who was trying to hide her amusement at Ross' comment and failing by the second. Logan decided to just walk away from it, but before he headed back to his desk, he winked at Eames and nodded at Goren to show his gratitude. He had figured that Carver wouldn't have gone for his idea of a search warrant if Goren hadn't said something and even though everyone was laughing at him, he was appreciative.

Now all they needed to do was get her to confess, well that should be a piece of cake... right?

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TBC

**A/N **Lee & Grace Law Firm is completely made up and if it does match a real one, whoops! I didn't mean for it to do so.


	6. Chapter 6

Firstly, I sincerely apologise that it has been ages since this one was updated. But, it seemed that my original outline for the story was altered and now, because of that, I had to change the direction of the story. So, sorry about that.

**Fire Safety**

**Home of Jessica Marshall**

The four detectives were inside her living area, searching through book shelves and looking through Jessica Marshall's things. Marshall was holding the search warrant in her hand, her face screwed up in confusion and anger. "How dare you people search my home without good reason."

"We dare." Logan told her, as he pulled opened a drawer and began looking through it.

Goren was looking at pictures of Marshall and what appeared to be family. "Who are these? Your parents?" Goren asked, picking up a picture of two people, middle-aged, standing closely together and smiling at the camera. He held it up to show her.

"Yes." she replied, still upset, it was evident in her tone of voice.

"Where are they?" Goren asked, as Eames picked up a small box that contained certificates, letters and small personal posessions.

Marshall looked at Eames angrily and then turned to Goren. "They're dead." she said, practically spitting it out.

"I-I'm very sorry." Goren said, quickly apologising and putting the photo back on the shelf. He could see Eames eye him but she quickly continued with what she was doing. She was passing things out of the box to show Logan as Wheeler was walking out of the room, speaking to another officer.

"Yeah, well, it was a long time ago." she told him, softening just a little but she was clearly keeping an eye on Eames and Logan.

"What are these?" Eames turned to ask her.

"They're letters and they are private." Marshall walked over to Logan and took them off him.

"Yeah, they're letters and they look like love letters. To Chris Webber." Logan told her, as she took the letters off him.

"It doesn't look like he got them." Eames said.

"Oh, he got them." she said, angrily, swiping the box off her. "That is none of your business. Please leave my private property alone."

Goren walked closer to Marshall and look at her thoughtfully, his mind trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. "You - you had given up on phoning him, waiting for him."

"I'm not waiting for anyone!" She told him, sharply.

Goren stepped closer to her, "You did not like the way he 'coupled' with you and then refused to have any contact with you." She eyed him, her anger increasing as he started hitting a button she didn't want. "You... he - he abandoned you! You didn't like that because you prefer control and Chris was the one who was telling _you _what to do."

Marshalls anger flared, "So what are you saying? That I burnt down his house to get back at him?" Eames and Logan looked at each other and then at Goren.

"How do you know his house was burnt down?" Logan asked, hiding the smirk from his face as her face dropped a little. "It's not written in the warrant and it's not been released to the press yet."

"It must be in the warrant..." Marshall said, opening up the piece of paper in her hand and re-reading it.

"No, see, it only mentions Clare Brooks and your relationship with the suspect, Chris Webber." Eames told Marshall, as she looked back at Goren with hatred. Eames pulled out her handcuffs and walked over to her.

"I heard convicting evidence..." Logan started as Eames pulled Marshall's arms behind her back. "Possibly even a confession."

"You're under arrest." Goren told her, as Marshall practically growled in frustration as two officers arrived to take her away. Eames passed her to them and then they dragged her out of the apartment. The three looked at each other and sighed.

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**Interrogation Room, Major Case Squad**

"No, no, no, no, no." Marshall repeated over and over and over again, as Eames and Wheeler sat opposite her and her counsel, Roger Hayes.

Hayes put a gentle hand on Marhsall's arms. "You don't have to do that. My client did nothing wrong, she was aware of the fire because she drove there." Hayes told them.

"She drove there?" Eames asked, incredulously, her eyebrows almost reaching her hairline.

"Why?" Wheeler asked, "To see him?" Marshall nodded.

"I thought you weren't waiting for him." Eames replied, "Why would you want to see him?"

"I wanted an explanation!" her voice rising in desperation. "He didn't give me one, I went there to speak to him. What I found was a smoking pile of rubble."

Eames looked at Wheeler in amusement, "Did you know Clare Brooks?" Wheeler asked.

"No! I did not kill anyone!" Marshall repeated, venomously. They heard a knock on the window behind them and as the two stood up Marshall continued, "If you see him you can tell him that I hate him!" Eames rolled her eyes at the pathetic request and they left the room and walked straight into the observation room.

As soon as they did an evidence bag was passed to Eames from Goren. "Look at this." He told her and she did. As soon as she read the words she looked at her partner and then at Logan with surprise. "It's one of the letters we took from her home."

"It's from Chris to her?" Wheeler asked, looking over Eames' shoulder to see the letter. Goren nodded.

"They were exchanging letters." Goren explained.

"How romantic." Eames said, sarcastically.

"Bring him back in here!" Ross told them, as they looked at Marshall who was leaning on her elbows and taking deep breaths and Hayes was trying to comfort her.

"Is she for real?" Logan asked, shaking his head as they watched.

Eames snorted, "My heart bleeds."

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Logan and Wheeler were interrogating Jess Marshall as Goren and Eames were interrogating Chris Webber. "So the letters that the two of you wrote to each other, what was that?" Wheeler asked Marshall, as she appeared to be calmer.

"Private communication." She replied, hatefully. "It has absolutely nothing to do with you."

"Well, we think otherwise." Logan told her, "You see, you couldn't get an explanation out of him and you led us to believe there had been no communication between the two of you since... you know." He implied, with a grin. "So, what's going on?"

Marshall looked at her counsel, who nodded, she then looked back at Logan. "You read them?" Logan and Wheeler nodded, "Then you already know. I love him!"

"After only having a one night stand?" Wheeler asked, incredulously.

Marshall nodded, "You've never experienced love at first sight." Marhsall told her, "It actually exists."

"Well this is more like love at first sex." Logan responded, sarcastically.

"I do love him! We're meant to be together!" She said, determined. "He will be mine!" Hayes put his hand on her arm again to stop her from taking it too far.

"Even though he's been sleeping with other women since you?" Wheeler asked, looking down at her sheet to confirm that.

Marshall looked at her for a moment before saying quietly, "Those were just mistakes. He came back to me."

"Why? Because of your love?" Wheeler asked, not believing it at all.

"Yes, he realised and he came back."

"Jesus, where is my violin?" Logan sarcastically asked. "He didn't come back! You know that, we know that. So stop fooling yourself." She looked at him, shocked. "Come on! We read the other letters. You know, the ones you didn't send to him." She turned away and looked at her hands. "Hell, he only replied to a few of them, and then they were impersonal."

"That's just his way." She told him.

"You didn't like being nothing, did you? You didn't like being pushed aside afterwards." Wheeler said, continuing on. "You wanted to get back at him, so you thought that you would frame him."

Marshall was shaking her head vigorously. "No."

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Goren looked at Eames and then back at Webber, "She was insistent. She pushed. You didn't get angry at her for that?" Goren asked, Webber just sat still. The table in front of them was filled with letters from Webber to Marshall and there was also the letter that Darren O'Rourke had been given from Webber. "You had to come up with a way to get back at her, that's why you burned down your house and allowed her to know about it first."

Webber sighed, "No."

"You framed her for the murder of Clare Brooks and for your own house fire." Eames repeated after already saying it several times.

"You have no evidence, Detectives." His counsel pointed out to them, sighing at the same time.

Goren looked at them both, "Uh, we have the letter that you sent to her. 'I have an idea, one that will send you away to a place where they keep you behind lock and key'. You didn't write that?"

"No." Webber said,

"It's in the same handwriting as the letter that you sent to Darren O'Rourke." Eames told him.

"I told you, I didn't send that letter. Why would I? I didn't know about her boyfriend! It wasn't something we discussed before..." Webber let his sentence drop off.

"Before you got down to business?" Eames asked, enjoying his reaction. Webber looked at her but didn't say anything. He was desperately trying not to lose his patience with her again but she was being difficult.

"Before you killed her?" Goren asked, showing him a picture of Brooks, laying cold on a slab before she had been buried.

"I didn't kill her! Why don't you ask Jess? She's the one who kept telling me she'd make me pay! Why don't you ask her?"

"Chris that's enough." His counsel said to him, pointedly shooting the Detectives a look. Goren picked up all of the letters and evidence bag and then followed Eames out of the room. Walking into the observation room they immediately noticed Logan, Wheeler, Carver and Ross.

"We're not going to get anywhere whilst they are pointing the finger at each other." Carver pointed out, tiredly.

"They're playing tug of war with each other... and us." Goren said, quietly as he was thinking. He looked down at the letters and his seemed to space out again.

"What?" Eames asked, pulling him back into reality.

"The handwriting... i-in the letters... It's all the same." Goren said, stammering as he tried to put his thoughts into a complete sentence.

"What do you mean?" Ross asked, curious.

Goren passed some around to everyone. "Every letter, no matter who it is from, whether it Jess or Chris... the handwriting is the same. Even the letter to Brooks' boyfriend."

Logan looked between both suspects and nodded, "So this game of cat and mouse has a cat." He looked at Jess, "My money is on her."

"Great." Eames said, sarcastically. "Now I feel sorry for Jerry."

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TBC

Please review. Pretty please? ;)


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